June 3, 1813

201 years ago today in the northern part of Harrison County, Indiana Territory that later became Washington County, some of the officers of the Indiana Militia made an agreement to merge the companies of Captain Charles Busey, Captain John Royse, Captain Absalom Sergent and Captain Zachariah Lindley into a new batalliion of the 5th Regiment of the Indiana Militia. The officers signing the agreement were:  John Beck, Charles Busey, William Hoggatt, John Royse, James McKinney, Robert Lamb, Jacob Miller, William Cline and Frederick Wyman.  The witness to the agreement was John W. Coffey, Justice of the Peace.

John Beck was of German Lutheran heritage and came to the Indiana Territory from Pennsylvania by way of Rowan County, North Carolina.  He was a son of George Beck and helped him run the mill and clear the 5 land claims he either registered or eventually bought form the Federal Government near Beck's Mill. He relocated to the Republic of Texas in the 1840s.

Charles Busey arrived in the Indiana Territory from North Carolina and bought land from the government near the Wymans, Bushes and Karnes between Dutch Creek and Bear Creek.  He later moved to Rush County, Indiana after it was formed.

William Hoggatt was of Quaker affiliation from North Carolina.  He served in the Territorial Assembly representing Harrison County in 1812.  He became the first Sheriff of Washington County, Indiana Territory when it was formed.  His service in the militia led to his disaffiliation with the Society of Friends. He became involved in land speculation and was part of the company that established Terre Haute, In.

John Royse was a son of Frederick Royse who had operated a trading post and salt works at Royse's Lick in the first years of the 19th century.  He was host to many of the early settlers while they were scouting for land for settlement in what was to become Washington County, Indiana. John Royse was born near Bardstown, Ky in 1780 and died near Fredericksburg, In which his father laid out in 1816.

James McKinney was of Scotch-Irish descent and had registered a claim for land where Livonia is presently located.

Robert Lamb was of Quaker heritage and a son of Simeon Lamb who was a frontier physician at Royse's Lick and one of the first 3 Judges of the Washington Circuit Court in 1814.  Robert Lamb was born in Guilford Co, North Carolina.  Like William Hoggatt, his service in the Militia led to his leaving the Quaker Church.  He moved to Gallatin County, Illinois.

Jacob Miller was probably of  German heritage and worked 4 land claims and took title to 2 of them with the first one being just southeast of Big Spring.

William Cline was of German heritage and a resident of Harrison County.

Frederick Wyman was a son of Henry Wyman who was the son of a Hessian soldier. The Wymans settled along Dutch Creek northwest of what is now Martinsburg. He farmed in Jackson Township, Washington Township, Washington County, Indiana where he died in 1832 survived by his wife Elizabeth Baker Wyman and their 6 children.

John W. Coffey was one of the first justices of the peace in Washington County having settled southeast of Royse's Lick near today's location of Harristown.  He was one of the leaders of the Sharon Baptist Church which was the first congregation functioning in that part of the Indiana Territory which was to become Washington County.